Vine: Memento Mori

Vine is just about as dead as Miss Keisha, and that’s the tough truth. While the beloved app now lies in a graveyard littered with six second mem(e)ories, Vine’s impact has been somewhat revolutionary in bringing about a new culture, with even KMHS senior week featuring a “Vine/meme” day. After Vine’s demise, the masses’ devotion to the looping videos has only seemed to grow. So, how is it that Vine’s legacy has lived on more than a year after its death?

The culture that Vine created set it apart from any other popular social media apps. It was almost exclusively used by young people, making it feel as though people could be free to create without any supervision and having the knowledge that everyone will be able to relate to the content. What put Vine in a true league of its own was the sense of community it created. If someone weren’t on Vine, there would be no way for them to comprehend the niche and bizarre trends and jokes that regular Viners found unbearably hilarious. This exclusivity made Vine feel like a family.

Not only were these iconic Vine trends hilarious on their own, but they also gave rise to whole networks of edits and parodies of a single Vine at a time. These networks made some single Vines so prominent that they were recognized outside of the app, such as the “I don’t get no sleep ’cause of y’all” Vine mashed up with girl group Fifth Harmony’s song, “Worth It.” The mashup became so popular that it became common for fans at Fifth Harmony concerts to lead chants of “I don’t get no sleep ’cause of y’all, y’all not gon’ get no sleep ’cause of me” during performances of the song. One of the most popular and longest-lasting Vine trends, “What are thoooooooose,” even made it into one of the most successful movies in history, Black Panther. Vine has also been credited with giving birth to viral dance trends like the whip and phrases like “on fleek.” Today, many popular Viners have moved on to stardom in other media.

All in all, Vine was just good, wholesome fun. The app was an oasis free of politics and with limited drama. It provided a platform where any vine had the potential to go viral whether it was just friends messing around or a cinematic masterpiece. Vine was a beacon of wholesome creativity where anyone could share laughs regardless of age or race. Vines were art. Rest in peace, Vine (yeet).